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The Echo
The Magazine of the Elders Council
Issue 95 November to January 2022
The 2021 annual general meeting
It was such a pleasure to welcome members to our Annual General
Meeting, where we were able to meet face to face after so many
weary months of lockdown. As members arrived there were many
cries of, “isn’t it lovely to see each other again and to speak face to
face even if with a mask”.
The Magazine of the Elders Council
Issue 86 August - October 2019
39 members came in person and the seating was such that
conversation was possible while still keeping some distance.
Members were asked to remain seated and not move around the
room. Hot water flasks and individual teabags coffee packs etc were
available on each table so members could help themselves. There
were 101 apologies and we do understand that for some of
you there is still anxiety about being out. It was helpful that 62
proxy votes were given to the Chair and that meant we were
quorate for the business section of the meeting.
1
Before the meeting started officially, on
behalf of the Elders Council Anne Raffle,
our Chair, thanked an assortment of
people for the sterling work they have
done, including John Telfer who is
stepping down as a trustee after serving
3 terms of office (9 years). Barbara
Douglas presented John with a small
token of appreciation and thanked him
for his work as a trustee and with the
older
people friendly city
group. It was pleasing to hear he
intends to carry on with this work. Nick
Lambert has also stepped down from his
post as Treasurer for personal reasons.
We are grateful for Nick’s guidance in
looking after the accounts and leaving
them in good shape. Anne Raffle was also
given a big thank you as she has worked
extra hard through this pandemic; the
bouquet of flowers she was given was a
very small token of our thanks for all she
has done in her time as Chair.
Anne opened the meeting and after welcoming the members
introduced Keith Williamson, who takes over as Treasurer from Nick
Lambert, and Clare Levi. Clare had been seconded for one day per
week for 6 months but she is now working for the EC for a longer-
term. Her role is working with
Barbara Douglas to support the Board in
The Elders
the development of community
Council
Annual Report & conversations and diversity.
Accounts 2020/21
Our Annual Report, which was available
on the day, highlighted the work carried
out by the Elders Council during the
time since we last met at an AGM (in
2019.) Our Chair reflected on the good
communications our Board, staff and,
key members continued to provide
2
during the pandemic closures. She also paid
tribute to all the volunteers who have
supported their own communities, the spirit of
friendliness and help has shone through the
pandemic we have all endured.
Anne went on to say that the financial status
of the Elders Council is stable at this time. She
mentioned the various funding streams: the
grant provided by Newcastle City Council,
donations from our members, Research and
Consultation paid work and small grants obtained to provide
additional services, e.g., Postcode Community Fund, and how much
these are valued, without them our work would cease.
Keith Williamson gave a brief financial account and some
explanation to the facts and figures presented on the day. He also
spoke of the financial scrutiny from the accountant David Kilner.
The accounts were agreed by the members and David Kilner elected
as accountant scrutineer for this next year.
Trustees Alan Gowers, Violet Rook and
Anne Raffle were re-elected for a further 3
years. Bruce Davenport, was voted on to
the Board of Trustees for his first term of
office. Bruce currently works for Newcastle
University and we hope see and hear from
him in the coming years.
During the pandemic a small team of
members worked on the report you have
seen written about in the magazine over this last year called
‘Managing the Home Care Circus’. This has been widely circulated
and received very positive comments. Most of us will never need
Home Care but it’s wise to be knowledgeable before the event and
the team wanted to ensure more people had useful knowledge. It
was decided that a short animation using the information from the
Home Care Circus report, would catch the attention more people.
The animation was made in partnership with Digital Voice.
The short film had its premiere (no red carpet sadly) and was very
well received by all, the team were delighted with the response.
3
The film has since had its public release on 1 October, to coincide
with the International Day for Older People. If you would like to
know more, please contact our office on, 0191 2082701 or
email: info@elderscouncil.org.uk
The AGM programme finished with table discussions.
We heard many opinions and suggestions. One point made by many
was that overall, the EC is recognised as a trusted source of
information and that was very good to hear.
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EC’s work on home care goes digital with Avatars!
Recent issues of The Echo have highlighted the work that the EC has
done on home care and what we need to think about as we get
older. Our project and subsequent report Managing The Home Care
Circus has been widely publicised with its positive messages about
how to plan and what to think about if and when you might need
some support in the home.
Now we’ve taken this work a step further and produced a short
animation video on the key messages. We’ve used the words and
advice from older people and turned these into ‘avatars’. These are
visual images and drawings of six anonymised people. These
avatars speak about their experiences and advice about home care.
It is only 8 minutes long but an interesting, relaxed and simple way
to know more about a subject that can be difficult for many of us to
think about.
4
We did all this with the help and expertise of Digital Voice, a local
not for profit social enterprise that helps groups with digital
activities. A huge thanks to them and all those who helped the EC
with this project.
We had our 'EC Premier Launch' of the animation at our recent
Annual General Meeting and made it public on 1 October to coincide
with Older People's Day. You can find it on the EC website,
(www.elderscouncil.org.uk) along with our written report. Do spread
the word and let us know what you think! Julie Irvine
The Trustees of the Elders Council meet on a
monthly basis 10 times in the year. (There are no meetings in
August and December.) At the moment they meet using a video
platform called ‘Teams’ and this is how they have been meeting
since the start of the pandemic.
Here is a list of the current Trustees
Anne Raffle Chair Keith Williamson Treasurer Violet Rook
Mary Nicholls Alan Gowers Bruce Davenport and Esther Salamon
Age Proud Newcastle, the Sherrif, Cllr. Karen Robinson.
opens the show
Older People’s Month got underway
with a lively launch on 1 October in
City Library. Opened by the Sheriff
and Deputy Mayor, Cllr Karen
Robinson, a range of activities and
performances showed the variety of
talents and interests older people
enjoy. Writers from the Words and
Worlds
(https://wordsandworlds.co.uk/)
artist residency met in person for
the first time and read out their
work, which brought laughter and
tears. Dancers from Dance City had
us all up on our feet as we got a taste of what was to come in their
Inspire Festival https://www.dancecity.co.uk/inspire-festival/.
5
Some of us ventured into the Curiosity Caravan and told our stories
and others helped to create a zoetrope, putting the finishing touches
to the A-Z of Age Proud Newcastle
https://www.equalarts.org.uk/projects/a-to-z/age-proud
Elders Council launched our animation of ‘Managing the Home Care
Circus’ followed by an interesting discussion on people’s experiences
of home care https://tinyurl.com/66w9m8wt .
We also gave out a delightful Create at Home pack with ideas for
people to do at home and Older Voices put on a special broadcast
which you can listen to on https://www.mixcloud.com/LLARC/older-
voices-the-twice-monthly-show-of-the-elders-council-of-newcastle-
1st-october-2021/.
There were many other activities on offer during the month of
October including a ‘Waking up to Climate Change’ workshop with
award-winning writer, Linda France and free entry to Segedunum
for people aged 55+.
Many of these activities were not just for Older People’s Month and
will continue during the autumn, so if you are looking for something
new to do, take a look on www.informationnow.org.uk to find
events and activities near you.
6
The Elders Council radio show
As you know, the Elders Council radio show, Older Voices,
broadcasts from 2 to 4pm on the first and third Friday of every
month. And every month Maysie Sharp tells listeners what needs
doing in their gardens and then answers listeners' questions.
As we go into autumn and winter, she'll be giving
advice on indoor plants as well. So, if you've got any
questions about your plants, whether indoors or
outdoors, please just email them to
steve.whitley@phonecoop.coop and Maysie will do
her best to give you a detailed response.
On 5 November, our theme will be “The climate emergency” and on
19 November we’ll be looking at autumn. You can listen live on
102.5fm or by going to the Nova Radio website. You can listen to
the show later by going to the Later Life Audio and Radio
Cooperative mixcloud (https://www.mixcloud.com/LLARC/stream/).
Older Voices and LLARC feature in a new case study published by
the Centre for Ageing Better Age-friendly case study: Community
radio for and by people in later life | Centre for Ageing Better
(ageing-better.org.uk).
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Bus Passes and Travel Shops
All Travel shops are now closed. If your bus pass needs
renewing or you need to purchase a Gold Card (cost
£12) for free travel on the Metro for a year, you can do
this at Metro stations at the ticket machines before you
go through the barriers. There are staff members there at bigger
stations who will help if you ask. You can also renew by using this
link: https://www.nexus.org.uk/ticket-
information/concessions/older-people
To renew using the phone the number is 0191 202 0747
Grandparents may like to know of a new family offer on the Metro.
Here up to three children aged 11 and under can now travel free on
Metro with a fare-paying adult. If you have a gold card you are a
fee-paying adult.
7
City Centre Transformation
Elders Council has worked hard
to encourage older people to
express their views on the plans
for the transformation of
Newcastle City Centre. In
August we arranged a walkabout
with Council officers to help us
to understand how the buses
which currently use Blackett
Street will be re-routed around
the city. Members also had the
opportunity to take a bus around
the new bus loop with the CEO
of Stagecoach, Steve Walker,
which gave people the
opportunity to see it ‘for real’.
Elders Council members also
Courtesy of Google maps
participated in a focus group
with Council officers who
explained the detail of the proposals. The City Centre is undergoing
major changes, not just with the pedestrianisation of Blackett Street
but with significant developments coming on stream on Pilgrim
Street and New Bridge Street West. The members who took part in
the consultation discussions were mainly in favour of plans which
will reinvigorate the city centre, but stressed that it must be
welcoming to people of all ages. They expressed major concerns
about the impact of pedestrianisation on people with limited mobility
and concerns about how people with visual impairments would be
supported to re-learn their way around the city when the changes
are implemented. It came as a surprise to some of our members,
that the Council does not have control over how the new bus routes
are configured and that these decisions are in the hands of the bus
companies. We also learned that significant investment in
upgrading the signalling at major junctions should help to manage
the flow of buses around the new bus loop and allow more time for
pedestrians to cross the road. We hope older people have taken
advantages of the many opportunities to have their say on the
proposed changes so that we can ensure that the city is friendly to
people of all ages. (The map shows the planned bus ‘loop.)
8
Thank you, John
John Telfer has been a trustee of the Elders Council for the last nine
years and, in accordance with our rules, he stepped down at our
AGM in September 2021.
We had a conversation with him about his time as a trustee and he
told us that he had enjoyed it and would advise other members of
the Elders Council to put their names forward. “You learn a lot,” he
said.
The main highlights of his trusteeship were the establishment of a
relationship with Urban Green (the body that looks after Newcastle’s
parks) and his stewardship of the Older Person Friendly City Group.
Through this work, John has enabled Elders Council to run a
consultancy project with Newcastle University, Urban Green and the
Parks Forum on how we engage local communities in developing
age-friendly parks. The consultancy will focus on Paddy Freeman’s
Park but we will apply the learning more widely to other parks in the
city.
John maintains good links with disability groups in the city and keep
Elders Council informed of key issues we should be considering to
be inclusive of people with a range of
disabilities.
John regrets the fact that currently
neither the Board nor the
membership is diverse enough. He
welcomes the fact that this is now a
priority for the organisation and that
Clare Levi has been employed to
address this issue by engaging more
widely with older people.
John is also concerned that the active
membership of the Elders Council has
reduced. He would like to see the Elders Council put in place
mechanisms for members to more easily contribute to the work of
the organisation.
All in all, however, John will continue to support the work of the
Elders Council and, after his ‘gap’ year, will certainly consider
putting his name forward at the 2022 annual general meeting to be
elected as a trustee again.
9
The Milecastle Social group is back!
If you have missed going to the
monthly Milecastle meetings get
ready for it starting again. It will
be every third Wednesday of the
month starting on Wednesday
17 November from 10 am -12
noon. This first meeting will be
mostly about having a cup of
coffee or tea and catching up with
friends as well as asking for your
thoughts on whether you want to
continue meeting in this way.
There may be a quiz too.
Ken and Liz Turley will be hosting the meeting and
are looking forward to seeing you there.
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Workshops on wellbeing
The Elders Council were invited by the North of Tyne Authority to
organise and facilitate conversations with local groups about
community wellbeing.
The North of Tyne Authority are looking for evidence about what
matters most to people in the region. They want people to think
about how we can improve wellbeing in communities and what’s
important as we come out of the pandemic. They’ll use this
information to help them invest and spend money.
They talk about community wellbeing as: satisfaction with your
neighbourhood; being involved in local decision-making; people
volunteering; accessibility to local amenities like schools, GPs,
dentists, transport links, libraries, community centres, heritage and
locally owned businesses; the quality and accessibility of the local
10environment and green spaces; and finally, a sense of belonging to
a community.
In early September, we
ran workshops with two
groups of older people: a
group living in supported
accommodation in the
east end of Newcastle and
an older group of south
Asian heritage living in a
variety of housing in the
west of the city.
Important themes for both groups were around housing, care and
access to services and amenities. The most important thing for both
groups was being with friends.
The supported accommodation group talked in some detail about
being able to get around and the accessibility of the built
environment. Mobility needs must be considered (e.g., seating,
accessible mini buses, pedestrianisation).
The south Asian group talked about care needs such as the quality
of home care, accessible day care that understands cultural and
language needs as well as housing needs for older south Asians.
They said that they need more housing options and housing must be
easier to access.
We have produced a report about the workshops that will inform the
decisions of the North of Tyne roundtable on wellbeing.
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Doorbells - Dreaming for the Future
Elders Council continues to work in
partnership with Care and Repair
England, Skimstone Arts and
Northumbria University to encourage
older people and their families to think
ahead about where they want to live in
later life. During October, we put on a
tour of ‘Doorbells: Dreaming for the
Future’ – a humorous and moving
performance which explores where we
might live as we grow older – in community venues across the city.
The performances were followed by small group discussions during
which we gave older people the opportunity to explore the decisions
they might make to plan their futures. We have received feedback
11that attending performances has encouraged some people to adapt
their homes or move to somewhere more suitable and that they are
grateful for the ‘nudge’ we have given them to plan ahead.
We will be analysing the findings from our discussion groups to find
out what helps older people to plan for the future and whether the
options they are seeking are available to them.
Ensuring that older people live in good quality housing continues to
be a priority for the Elders Council. We contribute to research on
the design of new homes and through our involvement in the
national Older People’s Housing Champions network we learn from
other areas and contribute to lobbying for improvements in the
quality and accessibility of housing.
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Reframing Ageing
A new report by the Centre for Ageing Better has warned that
ageism in society is harmful to people of all ages
as the research highlights negative attitudes to ageing and older
people in England. The survey, ‘Reframing Ageing’, conducted by
Savanta ComRes, found that while the majority of over 70s feel
positively about ageing, that drops to just two in five of people in
their 50s and 60s. Men tend to be more positive about ageing than
women, highlighting the ‘double jeopardy’ of sexism and ageism
that women face as they age. Over half of adults in England believe
that the UK is ageist. And here are many words used to describe us.
The pandemic has raised questions about our cultural attitudes to
ageing, and the dangerous consequences of pervasive negative
stereotypes about older people. The research shows a clear appetite
among the public for a new way of talking about ageing – seeing
growing older as a lifelong process, and recognising the
opportunities as well as the challenges of ageing and later life.
12The research also tested common words for ageing, finding that
‘mature’ was viewed most positively, being favoured by 60% of the
public. ‘Old’ was the least popular, seen positively by just a quarter
(26%) of people. Just 38% saw ‘elderly’ in a positive way.
What are your thoughts and feelings about getting older? Not for
cissies? An opportunity to ‘age disgracefully’? Whatever your
approach, we’d love to hear from you.
If you would like to read the whole report you can find it here.
People in mid-life most pessimistic about ageing | Centre for Ageing
Better (ageing-better.org.uk)
The Age-Old Problem of Discrimination
If this is a topic that interests you, why not take the time to listen to
a podcast from Professor Tom Scharf, Professor of Social
Gerontology at Newcastle University From Newcastle Podcast - A
Show About Newcastle University's Research (ncl.ac.uk)
Elders Council is often asked to invite members to participate in
focus groups or research projects where older people’s views and
experiences are valued. Recently, several members have
participated in a project on developing flexible designs for new
homes with Northumbria University. We have participated in
several workshops where we shared ideas and experiences,
contributing to ensuring that the new designs really do meet
people’s changing needs as they age. One participant wrote to us
reflecting on their involvement: ‘Many thanks for this experience,
which ended today with yet another extremely interesting and
challenging meeting. We really have enjoyed and learned from the
experience and look forward very much to visiting the site in a year
or three.’ We regularly advertise opportunities in the bulletin and
on Older Voices, so don’t hold back. If you would like to come along
and share your ideas and views, please come forward when we
advertise a new opportunity. Your views are important to us!
13‘Words and Worlds’ is a residency commissioned by the
city that took place during the Pandemic.
The intention was to help people from
different communities share their lockdown experiences through
creative writing. It was led by Natasha Haws and Elijah Young.
Do I have a voice? by Pat Stott
When I am alone, I have to talk to myself, and my voice is in my
head. Thank goodness I have Poppy, my little cat who does not care
what I say to her as long as she is fed and cuddled. Sometimes I
talk out loud, B****** when I drop an egg on the kitchen floor or
have to return upstairs for the thing I went for but got distracted
and brought down something else instead. Do I have a voice if no
one is there to hear it? At a meeting I am happy to give an opinion
or comment. I feel that people listen although they might not agree
with what I say, this used to make me lose confidence in myself but
growing older has its advantages in that I can brush it off now. I
have been a public speaker, giving talks on various subjects and
being a dementia friend champion gives me the chance to talk to
groups of people about how a little more understanding can enrich
another's life. So, I do feel listened to in these situations, however
there are others where my voice means little. When trying to
explain medical concerns in a telephone call for example and being
left feeling frustrated. My voice has never effected change on a
wider scale, I did not save Radio Caroline back in the day or
improve the lot of people living with dementia in care homes,
although I shouted along with everyone else on the protest
marches. I have argued with politicians canvassing for my vote,
raised matters of concern at local council meetings, been listened
to, do but achieved very little. Still, I am glad I had the confidence
to use my voice. The way I speak has changed as I have aged, I
feel my voice can no longer be relied on to give the clear diction
needed in a large gathering for any length of time. It is getting
quieter and I need a glass of water to
sustain it. I have never had a singing
voice, even at school I was told just to
mime which did nothing for my
confidence. It didn't stop me singing
Jerusalem with the Women's Institute in
the Royal Albert Hall or our National
anthem when applicable. but I no longer
sing in small gatherings to save my
14embarrassment and spare the ears of those around me. I try to talk
as much as I can, to the lady at the bus stop, the person sitting
alone at the next table in the coffee shop or my neighbour as we sit
in our gardens. If I can leave someone else feeling a little happier, I
am happier too. I chat to friends and family on the phone, and even
callers trying to sell me something are given a chance. Emailing and
WhatsApp have lessened the necessity for talking but I will continue
as I believe that what you don't use you lose and I don't want to
ever lose my voice. Weak as it may sometimes be.
Fenwick’s Friendly Folk
My name is Anne Baxter and four years ago in my personal quest to
attempt to try to help alleviate loneliness, I set up a friendship club,
which some readers may recall, and which used to meet in Mark
Toney’s, Grainger Street. Of course, the pandemic stopped that
along with many other activities people enjoyed.
We are now functioning again as “Fenwick’s
Friendly Folk”, meeting any time between 3
and 5 pm on the 1 and 3 Monday of the
month, but now in Fenwick’s The
Terrace Restaurant (a more accessible
venue, being reached via stairs/escalator/lift
– it’s on the same floor as the toilets).
As well as meeting these times, we also meet elsewhere socially, for
meals, to visit the theatre or go on day trips; friendships are formed
and some of us have enjoyed holidays together.
I chose Monday as it’s often a Bank Holiday and such times can be
lonely. The time chosen is hopefully convenient for anyone already
in town and so that no-one is going home too late in the day.
It’s a very informal set-up: just turn up on the day as and when you
feel like it, whether every time or just occasionally. It’s free other
than the cost of refreshments at The Terrace where, incidentally,
the restaurant manager is delighted to accommodate us, being very
enthusiastic and interested in the venture. It will be lovely to see old
friends again and welcome anyone who decides to drop in and have
a cup of tea and meet other people. I’m looking forward to meeting
you. Anne Baxter
15Fancy a good read? Try these. time traveller explores many
aspects of a very different society
The first part of this article to the planet-plundering social
spotlighted novels that were not order of today. Unlike most
only good ‘reads’ but also offered utopian works, Dauncey bases
real insight into environmental his vision on developments
issues. They were based on the actually happening today or in
‘bad news’, namely the all too the pipeline. References guide
real threats we face in the form of readers to sources with the
blowback from human abuse of supporting evidence.
environmental systems (global
overheating, etc). This time, we
strike a more positive note.
Though much smaller in number
than ‘dystopian’ works, there are
some excellent novels that give a
flavour of what a more
sustainable society might be like
and how it could be created.
Perhaps the ‘classic’ is ‘Ecotopia’
by Ernest Callenbach (1975 but
now available in an anniversary
edition). It tells the story of a
journalist visiting a newly
independent state on the west Finally, there is the issue of how
coast of the USA that has to stop the juggernaut of
seceded and decided to go its despoliation and destruction.
own green way. There is a Edward Abbey’s ‘The Monkey
prequel, ‘Ecotopia Emerging’ Wrench Gang’ (1975) is a fast-
(1981), which relates how the paced and darkly comedic tale of
new state emerged. An older a group of ‘eco-saboteurs’. It led
novel with a greenish ‘utopia’ is to real-life imitation and added a
‘Island’ by Aldous Huxley (1962). new word to the language:
‘ecotage’ as well as inspired a
Guy Dauncey’s ‘Journey to the new generation of activists. It has
Future’ (2015) is, not surprisingly, a sequel: ‘Hayduke Lives!’
about the future, specifically (1989). Sandy Irvine
Vancouver in 2032 when the city
has become far more [It is believed that the cover art, of the
environmentally sustainable. Our Autumn in the garden
above, can or could be by R. Crumb.]
16As the fine days of summer autumn flowering polyanthus,
sunshine turn into the mellow they make a fiery seasonal
tones of autumn, in the garden display. Recent supermarket
it’s time to replace the now impulse purchases have seen
fading colours of warm weather me with even more cyclamen
plants with the equally vibrant for my pots providing instant
hues of winter tolerant colour and I can transfer from
varieties. My hanging baskets pot to shady borders later on
full of vivid trailing geraniums where they will naturalise very
are clinging on in the mild quickly. I love the bright little
weather but it’s time to empty faces of violas and the larger
them out in favour of hardier pansies, along with their
blooms. striking colour schemes. Team
up some orange examples with
silver foliage or training ivy in a
pot for an eye-catching display.
I pack my hanging baskets
with a cushion of sky-blue all-
winter violas for a boost of
colour on a grey day.
Start planting spring bulbs in
pots of fresh compost now.
Daffodils, narcissi, snowdrops.
crocus and another radiant
bulb, iris reticulata, but leave
tulips for December planting.
And there is such choice if you
shop around. I’ve had great
If you have a small garden or success with supermarket
even a yard, pots are always buys, while bulb catalogues
our saviour. My autumn and garden centres offer a
flowering cyclamen and my mind-blowing selection.
delicate autumn crocus are
adding a soul-lifting scheme of Now where did I put that
lilac, white, pink and deep trowel? Susan Pownall
magenta in a shady corner of
my garden. At ground level,
the rich tones of pot grown
acer and heuchera are a true
sign of autumn. Interspersed
with the orange and red
17Hearing aids
I have had hearing aids for the last ten
plus years. It would have been longer
had I listened to my family, who kept
telling me to get a hearing test. When I
eventually succumbed, it simply needed a
request to our GP and I was given an
appointment at the Audiology
Department of the Freeman Hospital.
The test itself involves listening to a
series of sounds of different frequency
and increasing loudness. You have to say at
which loudness you first hear the sound so that the audio technician
can build up your audio profile and adjust the hearing aids
accordingly.
The hearing aids are digital and battery-operated. The advice given
is to turn them off before going to bed at night and I’ve found
battery life to be between ten and fourteen days. The Freeman
provides a battery replacement service free of charge.
While I am highly satisfied with my NHS hearing aids, I have friends
who have had difficulties with them and have bought hearing aids
privately. This does, however, require deep pockets as the cost is a
four-figure sum.
Finally, if you – or more importantly your family – think you are
experiencing hearing loss, get a hearing test sooner rather than
later. Hearing aids can make a huge difference to your quality of
life. They certainly did that for me. Robert Weiner
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Why are our GPs working differently?
GP practices are there to help us but, because of the pandemic,
they want to keep us and themselves as safe as possible. They have
worked throughout the pandemic and are busy trying to catch up
from the problems this brought. They’ve also provided flu and Covid
vaccines.
We can help them by being patient with practice staff, wearing a
face covering in healthcare settings and being ready to use the
service a bit differently.
18GP practices are open and you can see your
doctor and other health professional face to
face BUT you may need to speak to reception
staff on the phone first. They may ask you
personal questions but will treat your
information confidentially. Many practices
have a range of professional healthcare staff
(for instance, advance nurse practitioners
who can diagnose and treat health
conditions). The receptionist will work with
you to decide who is the best person for you to see for your
particular need.
It may be that you will have a telephone or video conversation with
your GP (or other healthcare professional) and sometimes the issue
you are experiencing can be resolved in this way. You may be
invited to the surgery if your GP needs to examine you.
You can visit www.nhs.uk for advice on common symptoms or you
can speak to your pharmacist for advice on minor illnesses or to
help you better understand the medication you are taking.
For help with minor injuries or urgent care when your GP practice is
closed, you can visit www.111.nhs.uk or call 111 on your phone.
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Flu and Covid Jabs
Winter is just around the corner
and we expect most of you have
had an invitation for a flu jab. It’s
really important that you take this
opportunity and have the jab.
There will also be invitations
(some will already have been
received) to have your booster
Covid vaccination. The effects of
Covid and flu on our age group
can be extremely serious, as we all know. Don’t be put off by bad
weather; make sure you keep yourself as safe as possible.
Go and have the jab!
19TV licences
Silver Voices, which claims to be the only independent, individual
membership organisation for senior citizens in the UK, has urged its
members to join a campaign about TV licensing. They say that over
260,000 over-75 households are refusing to pay the licence fee,
which used to be free for them.
If you are one of those “refuseniks”, you can expect to soon receive
a visit from a “customer-care” officer. The BBC have assured Silver
Voices that the officer is not an enforcer so you don’t have to talk
with them if you don’t want to and you won’t be fined if you politely
turn them away. If you want to see the full advice that Silver Voices
gives.
Please go to:
https://silvervoices.co.uk/?s=customer+care+%2B+TV+licences
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Women’s Tales from WWII
Did you experience the
1939-45 war? or know
somebody who did? If
so, do you have any
reminiscences that you
could share with Tyne
and Wear Archives and
Museums?
Air raids? Evacuation? Gas masks? Or whatever.
Please ring (0191) 232 6789 or go to history@twmuseums.org.uk
or Wanted: stories of women in Newcastle during the Second World
War | Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (twmuseums.org.uk)
20Tyne Tunnel Open Road Tolling
There are changes to how you pay to travel through the Tyne
Tunnel. From November 2021 there won't be any toll booths at the
Tyne Tunnel you will be able to drive straight through.
This doesn't mean it is free! You still have to pay.
You can pay in advance or pay by midnight the day after your
journey. You can pay online or by phone. There is a 10% discount
for payment in advance. Failure to pay will result in additional
charges. This is the website: https://www.tt2.co.uk/ and the phone:
0191 574 0030
If you have a Blue Badge, you will be exempt from payment but you
MUST register your car at http://www.tt2.co.uk/blue-badge-
application/ phone 0191 574 0031
We receive messages from you about both the magazine and the
eBulletin and we enjoy reading them, we’d like to hear more from you
about what you enjoy or responding to our questions. Here are a couple
of recent messages. (You can order the eBulletin by contacting the
office the contact details are on the back page)
This is from Honor Cooper and she’s referring to the eBulletin.
‘Your letter is so full of useful information, it is brilliant.
My problem is that I tend to quickly scan over it - telling myself
that I will return later to explore deeper - then don’t and then,
before I know it the next newsletter has arrived. I’ll sort it
eventually. Thank you for your good work.’
This is about the magazine from Brigid O’Connor
‘Splendid edition of the magazine so thanks to y'all for all the
work it entails. I really do appreciate it, especially this one as it
has some really good stuff from St. James in Benwell.’
Received my copy of The Echo. As usual, lots of information.
What about a recipe section? ???
[We did consider this but decided there are thousands of recipe books
available as well as millions of online recipes to use. Editor]
21Keeping Warm and Cosy in Winter
There’s a lot of information to help with this but
sometimes straightforward old ways are simplest.
Keep your house warm, it shouldn’t get below 18 degrees when
you are up and about. You can keep it warm by:
Keeping the furniture and curtains away from radiators so the heat
can get to the room.
Thicker curtains when drawn across windows keep heat in.
A hot water bottle or an electric blanket are good for warming the
bed, but of course one or the other never together!
Even though we want to keep the heat in having some ventilation
helps with air flow.
If you are 60+ you can be included on the priority services register
operated by your water and power supplier. You can check with
your supplier.
Keep yourself warm
Don’t sit around for long periods it will make you feel cold. Get up
and move around at least every hour if you are able. Exercise is
good for us and it can really warm you up, get up and jiggle a bit!
Wearing several thin layers is better than one thicker piece of
clothing – it’s time to dig out the winter vests!
You need to eat regular hot meals and take hot drinks
and that includes those 5-a-day fruit and veggies, great
for hot soup or broth.
Try and stock up on tinned and frozen foods in case you
can’t get out if it’s icy or we have snow.
A pair of well-fitting slippers or shoes will help prevent falls and slips
There are more things you can do to help like making sure your
home is as well insulated as it can be; by having your heating and
cooking appliances checked every year and by using draught
proofing around windows and doors.
Winter can be expensive: there are grants, benefits,
and sources of advice to make your home more energy
efficient, improve your heating or help with bills. It’s
worthwhile claiming all the benefits you are entitled to before winter
sets in.
The city Welfare and Wellbeing Team works from Monday to
Thursday 9am to 6pm, and Friday 9am to 4pm, their phone number
is: 0800 170 7001 (freephone.)
22Donations and Gift Aid
Your generous donations help the Elders Council to continue to
provide the full range of activities that you can read about in the
Magazine.
If you would like to donate to the Elders Council, it’s easier
for us and for you if you do this by bank transfer or if you
make a regular donation by Standing Order.
Our details are: Bank: Co-operative Bank
Sort Code: 08-92-99 Account Number: 65079623
Account Name: Elders Council of Newcastle
If you are a UK taxpayer, please don’t forget to complete the Gift
Aid form below. This allows us to claim gift aid from the government
(there is no charge to you).
I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax at
least equal to the Amount of tax that the charity will claim on
my gifts.
I confirm that this donation and all previous and future gifts
of money to the Elders Council should be treated as Gift Aid
donations.
Signed
Over the years, some members have chosen to leave the Elders
Council a legacy. By deciding to remember us in your will, you can
really help the Elders Council to continue its work.
Give as you live. Please help the Elders Council by logging on to
www.giveasyoulive.com every time you shop online and nominate
the Elders Council as your chosen charity. It costs you nothing and
we receive a small percentage of the sale.
23Magazine Information
Magazine articles
If you would like to submit an article to be considered for the next
edition of the Magazine, please ensure that you send it to us by
Friday 10 December 2021, to us at info@elderscouncil.org.uk
You may also post articles to us at the address below. Articles that
are typed or word-processed are really appreciated but hand-written
articles are fine.
Contact details
The Elders Council of Newcastle
Room 2.29, 2nd Floor
Biomedical Research Building
Campus for Ageing and Vitality
Nuns Moor Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE4 5PL
Phone: 0191 208 2701
Email: info@elderscouncil.org.uk
Website: www.elderscouncil.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1122424
Magazine in other formats
We can make our Magazine available in alternative formats (e.g., in
larger print or an audio CD). Please just let the office know what
format you would like.
Reminder
If you move, change your email address or telephone number,
please let us know so that we can keep our records up to date.
24You can also read
